A Blairstown man was indicted today on a charge of bribing Hanover's former mayor with a $20,000 payoff in return for help with zoning approval to build a Quick Check

Michael Sesera, 68, was indicted on a second-degree charge of bribery by a grand jury in Superior Court in Morristown.

The indictment alleges Sesera tried to bribe the former mayor, Ronald Francioli, between April 2, 2007 and Nov. 10, 2008, when he was arrested.

At the time of the arrest, authorities and town officials said Sesera had lost his life savings in a failed plan to open a gas station/convenience store on a 1.6-acre parcel.

Sesera originally planned to open a BP gas station, but those plans fell through. In 2005, he struck a deal with Quick Chek to build a similar project on the lot. The following year, the town rezoned the property to exclude retail, squashing plans for the Quick Chek.

Sesera became desperate and saw the bribe as a last-ditch effort to save the project, officials had said. He stuffed $20,000 in a brown paper bag, drove to the Rockaway Townsquare mall's parking lot and handed the bag to then-mayor Ronald Francioli, authorities have said.

Francioli had tipped off police, who were watching, according to authorities.